The muscle-up. It's one of the toughest, most impressive exercises out there. If you’ve already mastered your pull-ups and dips and you're ready to flex a new skill—or you just want to conquer this challenge for yourself—then you've come to the right place. We've got the perfect training plan to get you there.
This plan is designed for 2-4 training sessions per week, with each workout lasting about 90 minutes. If you've already got a solid fitness base, you can expect to nail your first muscle-up in about 4-8 weeks with this program.
Technically speaking, the muscle-up is a seamless combination of three movements performed in one fluid motion:
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The Pull-up
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The Transition (getting over the bar)
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The Dip
Just like the pull-up, it’s a killer bodyweight exercise. You can train the muscle-up as a standalone goal or use it to build serious upper-body strength and boost your overall fitness.
Typically, muscle-ups are done on racks or pull-up bars. But there are also special muscle-up bars designed specifically for this move. And if you want to tackle it on gymnastic rings or even parallettes/dip bars, we've got the gear for that, too.
Studies [1] have shown that learning the muscle-up on a straight bar is generally easier than on gymnastic rings.
Muscle-Up Workout Plan: The Short Version
Here’s a quick look at the workout. You'll find a more detailed version and a downloadable PDF further down the page.
| Phase | Exercises & Details |
|---|---|
| Warm-up | 5–8 min: Arm & shoulder circles, followed by 3 x 10 scapular pull-ups or 3 x 6–8 explosive lat pulldowns. |
| Main Workout | 3 x 4–6 Explosive Pull-ups (pull to your chest) 3 x 4–6 L-Sit Pull-ups 3 x 4–6 Dips 3 x 8–15 Leg or Knee Raises 3 x 4–6 Transition Drills 3 x 5–8 Negative Muscle-ups |
| Cool-down | 5–8 min: Stretching (shoulders, chest, back, arms) & foam rolling/mobility drills. |
Requirements for the Workout
Before you dive into muscle-up training, you should be able to comfortably do the following:
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At least 8 clean, consecutive pull-ups
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At least 8 explosive dips
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Hold a plank for at least 60 seconds
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At least 20 shoulder-width push-ups
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Hang from a pull-up bar for at least 60 seconds
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A good foundation of upper-body explosive power
If you can't tick all these boxes just yet, don't worry! You can still use this plan to build up your strength. Just know that it will likely take a bit longer to land that first muscle-up.
The Full Muscle-Up Workout Plan (2 to 4 Sessions Per Week)
Set aside about 90 minutes for this entire workout. Stick to the structure and make sure you complete all three phases: Warm-up, Main Workout, and Cool-down.
In every session, try to push yourself to your absolute limit on at least one of the exercises. That means increasing the reps or sets until your muscles hit failure. That's where the progress happens!
Download the PDF Muscle-Up Workout Plan
How to Perform the Exercises
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High, Explosive Pull-ups: Pull yourself up with maximum speed. The goal isn't just to get your chin over the bar, but to get your chest to touch it. The higher you pull, the easier the transition will be.
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L-Sit Pull-ups: Perform these pull-ups as slowly and controlled as you can. If you need a little help, use a resistance band to assist you so you can focus on clean form.
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Dips: Grip the dip bars or rings at shoulder-width and lock out your arms. Lean slightly forward, keep your elbows tucked in close, and slowly lower yourself until your shoulders are below your elbows. Then, press back up in a slow, controlled motion.
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Hanging Leg or Knee Raises: Hang from the pull-up bar. For leg raises, keep your legs straight and raise them until your toes touch the bar or your legs form a 90-degree angle with your torso. For knee raises, pull your knees towards your chest, letting your back round slightly.
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The Transition Drill: This is key! Keep your elbows tight to your body. Use a resistance band or a small box to help you get into the top of the pull-up position (chest touching the bar), then practice pushing up from there into the bottom of the dip.
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Negative Muscle-ups: Start at the top of the muscle-up (in the support hold) and lower yourself down as slowly and controlled as possible. The eccentric (lowering) phase is crucial for building strength.
Progression & Top Tips
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If you're struggling with some of the exercises or your progress stalls for a few weeks, go back to basics. Focus on building strength in the prerequisites, especially explosive pull-ups and the transition drill.
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Use resistance bands to help you until you can nail the transition with perfect form.
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When practicing the transition on rings, try using a "false grip." This is where you place the rings deeper in your palms, almost over your wrists. It makes the transition from the pull to the dip much smoother.
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Progress gradually: First, increase your reps. Once you can do that, reduce the assistance from the band.
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Rest periods: Take 60–90 seconds between exercises and 120–180 seconds between sets.
Nutrition Tips for More Explosive Power
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Up your protein intake (around 1.2–1.8g per kg of bodyweight) to help your muscles recover and grow.
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Fuel your intense workouts with fast-acting energy sources like oats or bananas.
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Healthy fats from avocados and nuts will support your recovery.
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Don't underestimate rest! Make sure you're getting at least 8-9 hours of quality sleep per night.
An Alternative: The Kipping Muscle-Up
Besides the strict muscle-up plan, you can also learn the move by using momentum (a kip). As you get stronger, you can gradually reduce the kip until you're doing it with pure strength.
Here’s how to learn the kipping muscle-up:
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The Swing (Loading Up): Stand about half a meter in front of the bar, jump up, and let your body swing forward into a "hollow body" position. Your legs should be straight and slightly in front of you. Grip the bar about shoulder-width apart.
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Explosive Knee Drive: As you swing back, explosively drive your knees up towards the bar. This creates the momentum you need. Once your knees are high, snap your hips open to catapult your whole body upwards.
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The Turnover (Transition): At the peak of your swing, it's time to get over the bar. The goal is to use the momentum to get your entire upper body—or even your stomach—over the bar before transitioning your grip. Make sure both hands come over at the same time to avoid the dreaded "chicken wing"!
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The Catch & Dip: Once your chest is over the bar, press up into a full dip, just like you would on parallel bars.
Using a kip is a great way to get a feel for the transition. As you get stronger, you can make the kip smaller and smaller, relying more on your pulling and pushing power.
Final Thoughts
Focus on performing every exercise in the main workout with clean, controlled form. Remember to push at least one exercise to muscle failure by adjusting your reps or sets.
The muscle-up is a flowing sequence of movements. You don't just need strength for each part, but also a smooth, efficient transition to tie it all together.
With the right prerequisites and consistent effort with this training plan, you should be able to smash your first muscle-up in 4-6 weeks. You've got this!
Sources:
[1] Walker, C. W., Bruenger, A. J., Tucker, W. S., & Lee, H. R. (2023). Comparison of Muscle Activity During a Ring Muscle Up and a Bar Muscle Up. International journal of exercise science, 16(1), 1451–1460. https://doi.org/10.70252/FJQL7859
Images: Last image by Pedro Araújo on Unsplash. Other images are our own.
